1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to software, and more particularly, to a method for configuring multiple lifecycles, and associating each lifecycle with one or more subcategories of items whose descriptions are accessible in a database.
2. Description of the Related Art
Businesses, especially large-scale heterogeneous service-oriented businesses, manage a large number of different items that go through lifecycles composed of several clearly delineated states. Hardware assets may be specified, purchased, configured, deployed, and decommissioned; software may be designed, developed, tested, and installed; contracts may be negotiated, approved, and fulfilled. Businesses may manage these lifecycles by requiring approvals for items to enter or leave certain states, or they may require items in different states to be handled differently. Lifecycle issues are particularly critical in information technology (IT) service management, being a major component of accepted best practices for configuration management, as elaborated in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).